This invention relates to new methods of manufacturing field-emitter array structures using semiconductor microminiature integrated circuit manufacturing techiques.
One prior art microstructure field emission cathode source is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,665,241 issued May 23, 1972, to C. A. Spindt et al. This patent describes a method for fabricating a microstructure field emission electron source in which metal is evaporated into a mold having small holes formed by electron beam lithography. However, the shape of the field-emitter is determined by rotating the mold and by using more than one evaporation source.